Cold Water Diet

Did you know that, technically, you can lose weight over time-just by drinking cold water? This doesn't mean that you should eliminate everything else from your diet, it means that by drinking cold water on a regular basis (perhaps instead of other sugary drinks), you will lose weight. This "cold water diet" sounds like a miracle for people who have been struggling with their scales.

The way the cold water diet works is this: in order to process the nutrients contained in the water, your body must heat the water up to match the temperature of your body. In heating the water up, your body uses energy-which requires the burning of calories. Water itself carries no caloric value, so in drinking cold water, you are causing your body to burn more calories than it is taking in: the most basic way to lose weight! You could lose up to five pounds each year just by drinking cold water on a regular basis-and not changing anything else in your routine. Of course, this weight loss will probably seem inexplicably slow but remember, weight loss is better done over time.

Obviously with this cold water diet, the colder your water, the more calories you will burn by drinking it.

Like any weight loss program, this one is not without its risks. The body has to work hard if too much water is in the body's system and most of that work is done by the kidneys. By drinking too much cold water, you could tax your kidneys and eventually do them damage. Drinking too much cold water has also proved problematic for people with serious health conditions like congestive heart disease as it can cause a serious edema.

If you plan on doing the cold water diet, you should take care to take supplemental vitamins that will replace the vitamins and minerals that will get flushed from your system if you drink extra water.

Of course, there are benefits to this diet as well. Scientists agree that drinking extra water is a good way to rid the body of toxins (if the water itself is toxin free). Getting rid of these toxins could prove to be beneficial to a person's health and even give them more energy. Drinking water can also help a person feel full, and act as an appetite suppressant. This could add to the weight loss.

Remember, talk to your doctor before you begin any sort of diet. The best diets involve a combination of change to one's eating habits and a boost to the exercise regimen. This one would probably work the best if you simply replaced your other drinks with cold water and just drank as you got thirsty. It is the extra water that poses the health threat. Again, your doctor will know what is best for you and whether or not you even need to diet. If you don't mind the slow weight loss, however, the cold water diet could be just what you are looking for.